TEA BREAK
Tea break:
Oban airport
26 | OCTOBER 2018
TEA BREAK
My name is Murray MacGregor
and I am a fi re service
crew manager and fl ight
information service offi cer at
Oban Airport.
My day…
A typical day starts off with
me assigning the fi re crew
their tasks for the day. We will
then make sure all the airport
equipment, including fi re
vehicles, breathing apparatus
and radios are in working
order. We check the runway
condition, and check for bird
activity and for FOD (foreign
object debris) – basically anything
that can cause damage
to aircraft.
I’m also one of the meteorological
observers at the
airport and I have to submit
weather reports to the Met
Offi ce every 30 minutes.
Being a fl ight information
service offi cer means that I
spend a part of my day in the
control tower passing on essential
aerodrome and traffi c
information for the safe fl ight
of aircraft.
No two days are the same.
We can have up to 60
movements in a day. If the
weather is bad it is more of a
challenge as that can make
take-offs and landings more
hazardous.
If the crash alarm sounds, the
crew need to get to the scene
in under two minutes, no
matter what they are doing.
Best day ever
Any time we have visits from
the local nurseries, the kids
are always keen to get to
spray the fi re hoses and play
with the fi re engine lights and
sirens. It’s great to see them
getting involved and learning.
You would be surprised who
fl ies into Oban Airport – we
have had celebrities and
royalty.
Occasionally they will stop
to have a chat and get their
picture taken.
We won Argyll and Bute’s
Team of the Year and the
Chief Executive’s Award this
year. That is down to the hard
Murray MacGregor
work of all the staff, and the
unsung heroes behind the
scenes.
Challenges
Paperwork. It’s never-ending.
The future
We would like to see more
scheduled services at Oban
Airport, operating to maybe
Glasgow or Edinburgh or out
to the other islands like Barra.
Why Argyll?
I have one of the best offi ce
views in the world – looking
out over to the Isle of Mull.
The scenery never ceases
to amaze you. Some of the
sunsets in summer take your
breath away.
Tea or coffee?
Tea.
And a wee treat?
Tunnocks Caramel Wafer –
we usually have a good stock
of biscuits and cakes in the
crew room.
For regular updates, fi nd
Oban Airport on Facebook
and Instagram, and at obanandtheislesairports.
com/
West Coast Review joins a hard-working member of
the community for a fi ve-minute tea break – and
fi nds out what it is that they love about their job.